Iger slams striking Hollywood
Disney CEO Bob Iger appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Thursday morning. Everyone knew Hollywood actors would vote to strike mere hours later. And that, in doing so, they would join writers who have been on strike since May 2.
But Iger wanted everyone to know that these writers and actors are demanding too much. In effect, they were attempting to draw blood from a stone.
Bob Iger said that the writers and actors unions going on strike in Hollywood are not being “realistic” with their expectations. ‘It’s very disturbing to me. … ‘There’s a level of expectation that they have, that is just not realistic.'”
(Variety, July 13, 2023)
This strike brought all movie and TV productions to a screeching halt. And it could drag on for months. So expect more reality TV shows to fill in as substitutes. And be prepared for this strike to spawn new reality TV stars. Just like the last writers’ strike in 2007 spawned the likes of Snookie and the Kardashians. God help us.
Writers and actors demanding more pay for play
The writers and actors are demanding many things. And they insist their demands are commensurate with the revolutionary changes streaming services and AI technology are bringing to the industry. Especially given that those changes could help studios and streamers yield astronomical profits.
But Iger maintains that the studios are still recovering from COVID. So this, he insists, is the ‘worst time in the world’ to go on strike. Except he conveniently overlooks that the studios are still making hefty profits.
More to the point, studio and streaming executives earn record compensation from the talent and labor of writers and actors. Hell, Iger himself made a cool $45 million last year, and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos is pocketing $40 million this year. So whatever financial pandemic studios and streamers are suffering is about as authentic as plastic cake on Hollywood sets.
White knight becomes Marie Antoinette
Iger came across like a patronizing dick during his “Squawk Box” appearance. Indeed, Hollywood’s best writer could not have scripted lines to make him come across any more so. Think of a stern father schooling his spendthrift kids. You know, by explaining the constraints and limits of the family’s budget.
The irony is that Hollywood writers and actors were hailing Iger only months ago when he was schooling Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. In this case, Iger was frustrating the governor’s efforts to roll back voting rights for Blacks and civil rights for LGBTQ people.
Yet that same Iger is now holding those writers and actors in contempt. And that’s because they dared to go on strike against studios like his, citing unfair treatment. Frankly, he’s making DeSantis look empathetic. After all, Iger is effectively discarding his Superman tights and cape and donning his Marie Antoinette wig and bodice.
Again, most of these writers and actors are striking for their daily bread. That’s why they must find the setting Iger chose to lecture them from too galling for words.
After all, Iger made his plea on behalf of these ‘struggling’ executives while attending the Allen & Company Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. It’s an annual gathering of billionaires. And the irony is almost as rich as the attendees themselves.
After all, there was Iger, sitting in the plush setting of a ‘summer camp for billionaires.’ And he’s decrying starving artists for being ‘disruptive forces’ and having ‘unrealistic expectations.‘ That smacks of Marie Antoinette, sitting in her opulent palace. And of how she allegedly scoffed at starving peasants, “Let them eat cake.”
They say every Hollywood good guy wants to play the bad guy. So too, it seems good Iger is now ready to play the villain, dishing out condescension instead of croissants.
Iger’s hypocrisy: A drama worthy of an Oscar
I cannot overdramatize the twist that has Hollywood seeing Iger as a bigger villain than DeSantis. But Iger’s indifference to the plight of writers and actors portrays him like Jekyll finally showing his Hyde. (If you’ll pardon another analogy.)
Will the real Bob Iger please stand up? And when you do, please tell us: Is it easier to use your corporation to fight for equal rights for Blacks and gays or to ensure fair pay for the artists who make your corporation what it is?
Marie Antoinette’s indifference to the plight of French peasants caused her to lose her head. This Hollywood version of the French Revolution might not be quite as dramatic. But Iger’s indifference to the plight of Hollywood writers and actors might cause him to lose his too, as head of the Disney studio.